Hart gains approval for lacrosse

Hart High has added lacrosse as a self-sustaining interscholastic sport, joining West Ranch and Valencia as the third team to add the sport.

According to Hart assistant principal and athletic administrator John Turner, the only thing left for the school to do in order to get the team fully up and running is to find a coach.

A posting for the position has been listed on the William S. Hart Union High School District website since July 21.

The coaching search is ongoing but Turner said he expects to have someone in place within the next month.

“We’ve had a couple of inquiries but we’re waiting to see how many other interested people we can get,” he said.

“Ideally we would have already had someone but sometimes the more patient you are the greater the prospects can be.”

Turner also said at this time there will only be a varsity team but depending on the level of interest that is generated, they could add a junior varsity.

“Seven or eight weeks from now if we had huge interest from players and parents, we could add another level,” he said. “With the club it was a voluntary, want-to-be-there thing. This year with it being a full CIF sport they will have a class period with P.E. credit. I think that piece alone will jump interest quite significantly.”

There is no girls team currently being planned but they are eligible to try out and play.

Tryouts are planned for late October and early November.

“We would love to add a girls team in the future,” he said. “That will happen but I don’t know the exact time for that.”

Hart will be competing as an independent CIF team during the spring season like West Ranch and Valencia.

According to Turner, the school got the go-ahead from the district board during the summer.

In order to be named a self-sustaining sport, lacrosse had to enter with two years of funding.

“We’ve had really good parent support throughout the entire process,” Turner said. “They’ve worked really hard and done all the work with this. Our booster club went out and generated the money and worked with the club kids and parents to pull it all together.”